Creativity and Problem Solving

Creativity and Problem Solving

• Creativity is defined as ability to produce novel and useful ideas
• Convergent thinking focuses logical thinking to find a single correct solution
• Divergent thinking spontaneously generates multiple ideas and solutions
• Creativity techniques employ divergent thinking in brainstorming and convergent thinking in decision/evaluation
• Creative workplaces foster autonomy, tolerate failure, support risk-taking, and provide resources and time

Group Decision-Making

• Teams are used as they bring more ideas, varied perspectives, and increased buy-in and commitment
• Brainstorming rules include the absence of criticism, encouragement of wild ideas, quantity prioritized over quality initially, and building on others' ideas
• Dr. Schoen's #1 rule of brainstorming states You must say something!
• The Delphi Technique gathers anonymous input from experts through multiple rounds
• A facilitator refines and shares ideas after each round

Mind Mapping

• Mind mapping is a visual tool used to organize ideas and concepts
• It promotes connections and creativity
• Challenges include becoming cluttered and requiring practice

Power and Influence

• Use of force may lead to compliance or resistance and it often erodes trust
• French & Raven's Power Bases include legitimate, reward, coercive, expert, and referent power
• Expert and referent power are the most powerful, but charisma is hard to teach

Cialdini’s Principles of Influence

• Commitment & Consistency are key
• Reciprocity involves saying “I know you'd do the same for me.”
• Authority requires displaying credentials
• Social proof involves showing others are doing something
• Liking involves being relatable and kind
• Scarcity leverages "Limited opportunity."
• After a "thank you", reinforce connection by saying “I know you'd do the same.”
• Whether to make a big ask first depends on the situation, using either the Door-in-the-face (big first) or Foot-in-the-door (small first) technique
• As a backup after "No", ask for why or something smaller

Outcomes of Influence Attempts

• Resistance involves refusal or sabotage
• Compliance is begrudging action
• Commitment is full investment

Signs of Resistance / Simple Sabotage

• Includes delays, excessive procedures, and vague communication

Social Power

• Leadership emerges through social bids (offers to lead) and grants (followers’ acceptance)
• 9 Influence Tactics exist

Soft Tactics

• Includes rational persuasion, inspirational appeal, consultation, ingratiation

Hard Tactics

• Includes pressure, coalition, exchange

Effective tactics

• Include rational persuasion and inspirational appeals
• Managers often use rational and pressure tactics, though not always effectively

Power and Corruption

• Power can corrupt without checks
• People may use others instrumentally

Benefits of Power

• Influence, decision authority, resource control

Negatives of Power

• Power amplification can distort follower feedback
• Instrumental view sees people as tools

Leadership Models

• LMX (Leader-Member Exchange) focuses on the quality of the relationship between leader and follower
• High LMX relationships have trust, support, and better performance
• Links to transformational leadership
• Full Range Leadership includes various styles

Full Range Leadership Styles

• Laissez-Faire: Is hands-off and least effective
• Management by Exception – Passive: Reacts only to problems
• Management by Exception – Active: Monitors actively for issues
• Transactional: Rewards for performance
• Transformational: Inspires and motivates

Transformational Leadership

• Especially effective for long-term commitment and growth

Transformational Components

• Idealized Influence
• Inspirational Motivation
• Intellectual Stimulation
• Individualized Consideration

Friends with Followers?

• Encourages trust/respect, friendship is okay with boundaries

Use of Laissez-Faire & Transactional

• It's okay for skilled teams or tasks with clear expectations.
• Balance vision with structure and accountability

Vision and Motivation

• Boilerplate/Bad Visions are vague, uninspiring, and generic
• Inspirational vision has a distant, noble goal tied to values and mission
• Vision increases commitment and meaning in work

Shared Leadership

• Leadership is distributed across team members
• Requires culture and structure change
• Has several advantages

Advantages of Shared Leadership

• Acknowledges others’ importance, encourages initiative, builds trust, increases flexibility, enhances creativity, and spreads workload
• Supports development and leads to better team outcomes

Problems with Shared Leadership

• Diffusion of responsibility
• Shared leadership works with legitimate authority
• Clear roles, communication plans, and mutual accountability are needed

Jenga Exercise Point?

• Demonstrated shared leadership dynamics, trust, and strategy under pressure

Teams (Post-3/25 Content)

• Teams are misused when seen as a magic fix without setup or structure
• Rewards in Western Teams are best when 50% team-based and 50% individual
• Teams involve shared goals, interdependence, and cohesion
• Team Effectiveness Model: Inputs → Processes → Outputs

Team Success

• Success ≠ just performance; includes cohesion, viability, etc
• Team functioning focuses on conflict, communication, and coordination quality
• KSAOs for Teams includes Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other traits like emotional intelligence

Team Size

• Ideal: 5-7 people
• Larger teams risk process loss and coordination breakdown

Team Diversity

• Includes surface (race, gender) vs. deep (values, thinking styles).
• Mixed effects: can increase creativity but also conflict

When to Use Teams

• For complex tasks where interdependence is required and multiple perspectives are valuable

Pitfalls of Teams

• Groupthink, loafing, unclear roles

Why People Like Teams

• Offers belonging, shared identity, social support

Brook's Law

• “Adding more people to a late project makes it later.”

Team Building

• Can help but must be purposeful and avoid cheesy or irrelevant activities

Kinds of Teams

• Groups: minimal interdependence
• Pooled: independent work, combined result
• Sequential: output from one is input to next
• True Teams: high interdependence and collaboration

Cohesion Types

• Social, task, and group pride
• Task cohesion is the best predictor of performance